Uncertified Genius
by Micaelodian
Summary: L hasn't spoken to his friend and rival M ever since she left the orphanage in a rage. Now thirteen years later, L is surprised to find that she is back and determined to help L catch the killer known as Kira. But why now? Whatever the reason, L is glad for her help. This case could be more than he can handle, especially when his main suspect is the perfect Light Yagami.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any character or situation in it.**

Chapter 1

L yawn and stretched lazily, the completed case file still open on the laptop in front of him. It had been one of the more difficult cases he had taken on, lasting two weeks as he waited for more information to come in. But now it was done and he could finally rest.

He slowly stood up, feeling his muscles uncramp as he did so. After sitting in one position for so long, it would take some time for his body to move smoothly again. _Perhaps I'll ask Watari to spar with me_ , he thought to himself. A quick check at the time made him amend his decision. _Tomorrow, then._

The carpet muffled any sound his bare feet made as he padded to one of the rooms. He didn't bother changing into anything more comfortable, choosing just to lie down on top of the comforter and close his eyes. Due to his insomnia, the only times L could sleep was when he was totally and thoroughly exhausted, too exhausted to even climb under the blankets. He knew Watari would tuck him in when the older man awoke.

L had only a few moments to marvel at the dedication of his guardian before he fell into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, it was with a suddenness that always accompanied the end of his rest. L sat up and ran a hand through his hair to remove it from his eyes. It was beginning to hang to his shoulders. No doubt Watari would want to cut it for him soon. Not that L minded, of course. It didn't matter to him what he looked like, only that Justice was served.

He slid off the bed and walked back to the sitting room of the hotel suite he and Watari had been staying in. The laptop he had been using the night before had been set carefully out of the way. In its place was a plate of strawberry shortcake, his favorite.

L munched on a bite as he retrieved his laptop. He had gone to bed before he knew the result of the raid that the police had carried out. With the case file he had sent him, his involvement in the case was officially over, but it was still satisfying to know that his hard work hadn't gone to waste on a raid gone wrong. With a few clicks, he brought up the information on the screen. Devert Arton was now behind bars awaiting sentencing. He saved the information under a file that he would come back to in a few weeks. With all the evidence L had compiled, it should be a short trial, but it never hurt to be certain.

"Good morning, sir," came a quiet voice. L slightly turned his body to face the man who had cared for him since he was a child.

"Good morning, Watari. It seems I need a new case." He gestured to the laptop in a helpless gesture. He never knew what to do with himself in between cases. Watari smiled and set aside the towel he had been using to dry his hands.

"I believe I sent a few to your inbox. They may interest you."

L clicked through and nodded in satisfaction. Watari had chosen well. With another bite of shortcake, he got to work.

A few hours later, L had still not resurfaced from the case files on his laptop. It wasn't abnormal for him to become so invested in his cases, Watari mused as he set down a plate of fresh-baked cookies in front of the raven-haired boy. No, it was actually quite normal.

Watari glanced at L one last time before opening his own laptop and pulling up the items he had been working on the night before. The orphanage he had set up would need a few more teachers with the way it was expanding so quickly. He had decided to expand the institution for all geniuses, not just ones that could succeed L. But with that growth came more work.

He sent out emails to some of his colleagues to ask them for their advice and recommendations. After that, he began to research other cases for when L finished his current ones. The quality of the cases he had sent L that morning would only keep him busy for a few days. Watari wanted to have a line of new cases ready when L requested them. It was beginning to become difficult to keep up with the young genius.

Watari shifted in his seat, his body unable to sit still for long periods of time like L was. He looked at the young man out of the corner of his eye, noticing that the cookies were gone. Another dessert to prepare then, plus a refill for his tea. With a large bowl of sugar, he added with a chuckle. How that boy could eat so much sugar and not gain weight was beyond his understanding.

As he moved to stand up though, a notification flashed on his screen. He looked at the message and his eyes grew wide. All thoughts of L's desserts flew out of his mind as he hurriedly opened the email that had just come through. M had not contacted him once since the girl had left the orphanage all those years ago. Why now?

Watari scanned through the email as fast as his eyes would allow. It seemed that three inmates in the Japanese major prison had all died of heart attacks within the span of a few days. But the interesting part came after that. None of those prisoners had previously had any heart condition that would have led to this. All of them were healthy men in their prime, and all of them were now dead due to heart attacks.

He sat back in his chair, a frown creasing his forehead. Three inmates? It was possible it was just a coincidence. But then, why would M send him this if it wasn't important?

With a hurried search, Watari found the reason why. It wasn't just the prison in Japan. Inmates were dying of mysterious heart attacks all across the world. He sent back an email to let M know that he received the message and would pass it on before beginning to compile all the information he could about this phenomenon. L would most certainly be interested.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" _Will I ever see you again?"_

" _I'm sure you'll see me in the news or on TV, but I can't ever come back. You know that, right?"_

" _So this is goodbye?"_

" _For now."_

L sat on the floor of their most recent hotel with one knee pulled up to his chest as he watched the newscast of Lind L. Tailor. The criminal was playing his part perfectly, antagonizing Kira with degrading and condemning words. IF anything was going to trick Kira into revealing himself, it was this.

Another minute passed. L leaned in closer to the screen of his laptop. If this broadcast went as planned, he would have a better idea of Kira's abilities. The police would have no choice but to give in to his demands and L could…

Lind L. Tailor clutched his chest, and in seconds L received confirmation of the criminal's demise. He allowed himself only a moment to marvel at the display of power before mentally shaking himself and typing a few commands on his laptop. The screen changed to the gothic L he favored. L grinned to himself.

 _Showtime._

* * *

"Day 6. Target has displayed no suspicious behavior. Tomorrow will be the last day of my observation."

Raye Penbar carefully stashed his notebook away, his eyes returning to the boy he was assigned to follow and observe for a week. As he had written, there seemed to be nothing abnormal about Light Yagami. If anything, the son of the Police Chief was the perfect example of a hard-working straight-A student. Nothing suspicious at all.

At the current moment, Light was standing at a bus station, occasionally glancing at his watch _. He must be waiting for someone,_ he thought to himself. He did a cursory check of his surroundings for any sign of danger, but there was nothing. Just like the last few hundred times he had done so.

Raye Penbar had no qualms about admitting he was bored. As an FBI agent, he was used to being in tense and dangerous situations. When he had been assigned this post of tailing a few members of the police force and their families on the suspicion of being Kira, he had been understandably enthusiastic. Someone who could kill without being there in person. That was the epitome of dangerous! And yet, here he was with a fake I.D. watching a normal, albeit intelligent, boy waiting for his date. Exciting indeed.

At least Naomi would be pleased. He frowned at the thought, knowing that his fiancée had been worried about him taking the job. He had brushed off her concerns that had only grown when the Director had contacted him and given him the fake I.D. to use on this investigation. A fake I.D. went against every regulation in the book, so the fact that the Director himself had ordered him to carry it at all times was significant.

But again. Normal boy, normal life. What could go wrong?

A young woman made her way through the crowded sidewalk and took her place at Light Yagami's side. So he was right. The boy was going on a date. The bus pulled up to the station, and the two teenagers got on. Penbar waited a moment to let them get in and take a seat before walking up the steps into the vehicle. His target was sitting a few seats from the back, his date politely seated at the window. Penbar nodded in satisfaction. The boy had manners.

The drive to… Sea World?... was quiet for the first few minutes and Penbar let his thoughts wander once more. However, his training kicked in the moment the man stepped onto the bus. The newcomer was dressed a bit more raggedly than the other passengers, and there was an air of nervousness around him that spoke of ill intentions. Penbar sat up a little straighter in his seat. If anything happened, he would be ready.

The man pulled out a gun the moment the bus pulled away from the station and started threatening the passengers with it. Then he pointed it at the bus driver and made a few demands. Penbar relaxed a fraction. With what the man had ordered, it would be relatively easy for the police to take charge of the situation when the exchange was being made. All Penbar would have to do is sit still and wait it out.

But of course the perfectly normal Light Yagami would go and try to be heroic. Take down the man with the gun? The whole plan was risky! Even having the Police Chief as a father didn't mean that Light would have the experience to successfully disarm the hijacker. It seemed he would have to take action after all.

His first suggestion to let him handle the hijacker only made the boy narrow his eyes at Penbar and say something about an accomplice. Which, to be fair, wasn't all that uncommon, but it still made the FBI agent annoyed. When Light requested some identification, Penbar froze. The words of his Director rang through his head. "If you have to show your I.D., show them this one. It will be one more defense against Kira."

Even though he firmly believed that Light Yagami could not be Kira, orders were orders. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the fake I.D.

"I won't ask why the FBI are following me, but I'll trust you."

Penbar nodded at him, pleased that Light had given up his foolhardy ideas even as a twinge ran through him at the fake name. He quickly shook it off. It was for the best.

Then Light had to go and drop the note he had written his plan on. Penbar nearly growled in frustration, especially as the hijacker made his way through the bus to pick it up. If the criminal read the note, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Light Yagami. Penbar shifted into a position that would allow him to tackle the hijacker if it came down to it.

He slowly released his breath as the hijacker only mocked Light for taking his girlfriend on a date. The boy must have dropped a different sheet of paper then. His moment of relief was shattered though as the hijacker started to hallucinate.

"Get down!"

Penbar made sure Light and his girlfriend had followed orders before gluing his eyes to the man who was screaming about a monster. The change had been so quick, so drastic, that it made Penbar nervous. He had never seen a drug act like this before; was it new? Either way, he would be including it in his report later.

A few minutes later and the hijacker was dead on the street, having been hit by a car after he had run out of the bus in his hysteria. Penbar was glad the situation was over. He had a lot to think about.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

L studied the reports that the FBI agents had sent him, paying close interest on one submitted by Agent Raye Penbar. It seemed the agent had encountered an interesting situation where he had been forced to show his fake I.D. to the target he had been following.

 _A bus hijacking? Interesting._

The only problem was that the criminal had died from being hit by a car rather than the expected heart attack. Still, L wasn't willing to rule it out as Kira's influence. Kira had been experimenting with his powers over the last week, and it was possible, however unlikely, that there were other ways for him to kill.

Other than this one occurrence, Light Yagami had been reported to have shown no suspicious behavior. Even his reactions on the bus were explainable and, while a bit on the brave side, were normal.

The next issue L faced was the fact that the Director of the FBI had assigned all his agents fake I.D.'s. L had not specifically requested that he do this, and the nature of the Director was to follow all the rules in the rulebook. So why had he taken such a drastic and illegal action?

L picked up his phone with his thumb and forefinger and dialed the number for the Director. Such an action was out of character for the man and he needed to know why the Director had chosen to disregard the rules for this particular investigation.

The phone only rang twice before the Director picked up.

" _Yes?"_

"This is L. Why did you assign your agents fake I.D.s?"

He spoke in his usual monotone, not judging but merely asking for clarification.

" _I have a contact who advised it for this case. They said that Kira has been evolving his powers and his ideals since the day he started, so it might not be unlikely that Kira would attempt to kill anyone who got in his way."_

"Who is your contact?"

" _That is confidential."_

L knew from experience that the man would not divulge anymore information than that so he hung up without another word and sat back to think. It wasn't a bad thing that this contact had advised the fake I.D.'s. No, what concerned L was that he didn't know of this contact when such a person had so much influence over the FBI to make the Director go against his very nature. He would have to ask Watari to look into it for him.

L set the phone back down on the coffee table and turned his attention back to the reports. There was a leak in the police force, he knew that for certain. It was just a matter of finding out who it was. He got back to work

The next day, Kira threw a temper tantrum.

* * *

Light Yagami banged his fist on his desk, his face a mask of rage. He had waited for Kishyo Azuko all morning the previous day and the agent hadn't arrived. All his work, all his plans were ruined!

He scribbled down a few more names as they were announced on the news. At the moment, he didn't care who they were or what they had done. They were criminals and that was all that mattered.

How had this happened? L must have ordered the FBI agents to carry the fake I.D.'s, but why? Had he figured out how Kira killed? What else did he know? How close was he?!

Another criminal showed up on the screen, and another criminal was left with only forty seconds to live. Light could hear Ryuk chuckling behind him, amused at the fury the human was displaying. Light did his best to ignore the Shinigami. He had already confronted the creature about not telling him that the name was fake, but the god of death had simply smirked and told him that he wasn't taking sides. It was Light's own fault for not considering the possibility.

Light growled and gripped his pen even harder. First Lind L. Tailor, and now this. L had to die.

* * *

Watari walked into the room with a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a slice of chocolate cake in the other. He placed them down next to L with ease of practice.

"I will be heading to the station now. Is there anything else you need before I go?"

L shook his head.

"Did you find anything about the contact for the FBI yet?"

He knew what the answer would be. Watari had only had a few hours to research it so the likelihood of the older man finding anything substantive was minimal, less than four percent.

As expected, Watari answered in the negative although there was something in the man's eyes that told L that Watari wasn't being entirely truthful. He didn't push his guardian, though. If it was important, Watari would tell him.

"Very well. Be prepared; there is an eighty-seven point three percent chance that anyone who remains on the taskforce after today will want to meet with me in person. I will be inviting them here for a short meeting."

He saw Watari's shock out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. Watari would never question L on matters as important as this, and L didn't need to give him an explanation. His reasons were his own.

"As you wish, sir."

Watari bowed as he left the room, dressed in his trench coat with his hat pulled low over his face. It would take a few minutes for him to reach the Police Station, and L needed every moment of it to prepare. It was vital that this meeting go exactly as planned. With Kira's rampage still on-going and with the knowledge that L had investigated them, most of the police force would want to quit. L needed to word his responses in such a way that many of them would. Only those he deemed trustworthy and dedicated to the case would be allowed to meet him.

He ran through the list he had compiled of those he thought would stay. It was a small list, and no doubt only a fraction on that list would actually follow through. He could hope, though. This was the first time he would be meeting with people other than Watari and those at the orphanage as himself. Even Naomi Misora who he respected greatly had not been told his real identity. It was a thought both exhilarating and terrifying.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The confrontation with the police force went exactly as L had predicted, as had the meeting with the five who stayed. While L was relieved by the accuracy of his foresight, he was also bored. He had taken the Kira case because it seemed exciting and difficult. So far, the case was thrilling- his colleagues were not.

The five men who had stayed weren't bad officers, to be sure. Each of them nhad earned their spots as detectives and each of them had proven their dedication to the case by staying despite the possible danger. No, the problem was that despite L being the World's Greatest Detective, they didn't trust him! Every theory he created had to be explained and dissected before the Task Force would reluctantly follow orders.

L cringed when he thought ahead to the Task Force's reactions when he would declare the Chief's son as a suspect. He would have to make sure Watari would be in the room to defend him from the angry officers, just in case.

After a quick glance around the room, L settled back into his seat, satisfied that everyone was working hard. They had been confused when L had ordered them to look into criminal deaths not due to heart attacks. He hadn't bothered to explain his reasoning since it would only lead to more questions, but his mind went back to the report on Light Yagami. Kira had already shown that he could control a person's actions before their death. If L could prove that Kira could kill in more ways than just heart attacks, then it would strengthen his case against Light.

It was too much of a coincidence, he mused, that Kira had begun experimenting after Light had obtained the name of the FBI Agent, and even more so when Kira had thrown his tantrum after the week of careful and precise planning. Something had gone wrong for the killer, and although L had no proof, he was 87.3% positive that it was due to the agent's fake I.D.

Which, by the way, he still hadn't figured out. It had been almost two weeks since he had called the Director of the FBI and Watari still hadn't found the mysterious contact. It was unlike his guardian to take so much time on a simple project, and L was beginning to get impatient.

Whoever this person was, they ahd a good grast on the Kira case and Kira's abilities. It was possible he or she would make a valuable addition to the Task Force. Maybe then, L would have an ally to help convince the other members of his theories.

"Um, L sir?"

L looked up from where he had been staring blankly at his laptop screen to find Matsuda shifting nervously in front of him. The man's voice was soft like he didn't want the others to hear and he was leaning a bit too close to L for comfort.

"Yes? What did you find?"

Matsuda thrust a few sheets of paper at L, his eyes glancing toward the Chief before settling back on L.

"You said we were looking into other criminals who didn't die from heart attacks, right? I was searching through the ones who had committed crimes but who were not yet in jail. I found one who was hit by a car after a failed bus-jacking."

L raised an eyebrow as he flipped through the pages. It seemed Matsuda had stumbled upon the same incident that Raye Penbar had reported. And that meant the reason for Matsuda's skittishness…

"I went through the passenger list just in case we needed more information and…"

Matsuda paused and looked at the Chief again. L waited patiently for the information he knew was coming.

"Light Yagami was on that bus," Matsuda whispered. L nodded to himself, pleased that someone other than him had made the connection.

"Was there anything else about the incident that caught your eye?" he asked. Matsuda bobbed his head in affirmation.

"Yes, yes. You see, the criminal, Kiichiro Osoreda, had no history of robberies that involved a third party. When he made the heist, he would enter the building, wave a gun around, maybe shoot it a couple times, and take the money himself. Never has he ordered for the money to be brought to him.

"On top of that, the report stated that Osoreda started hallucinating during the hi-jacking but no drugs were found in his system during the autopsy. Besides, his symptoms didn't match up with any drug we have in the system. It just doesn't make sense. If Kira was involved with any criminal's death that didn't involve heart attacks, it would be this one."

Matsuda finished his report, breathless in his anticipation for L's response. L was quick to give him one.

"Very well done, Matsuda. You may share this with the others, but please keep the fact that Light was on the bus to yourself. I need to figure out where he factors in."

The young detective practically beamed at L's praise, but there was an uncertainty in his eyes.

"Do you think Light is involved?" he asked. L shrugged and picked up his plate of cake, carefully cutting a small slice and balancing it on his fork.

"Light Yagami is currently my number one suspect."

Matsuda made a strange choking noise but didn't protest, his mind still on the report he had just given. No doubt he was wondering what other evidence L had to make his suspect Light so strongly. However, Matsuda just sketched a light bow and made his way back to his computer.

L watched him go, studying the way the young man picked his way around the candy wrappers and loose papers in the room with the ease of youth. Despite his reputation for air-headedness and uselessness, L knew that Matsuda was much smarter than he appeared. There was a reason he made detective at such a young age, and this was it. Matsuda had the ability to see beyond coincidences and make connections with lightening quick reactions. It was his personality that made others overlook his skill. L was grateful that Chief Yagami had seen Matsuda's potential. Otherwise, the police force would have missed out on a very skilled detective.


End file.
